Chapter 52: This Nephew Feels It Is Most Unjust for You

"Just frame him with some charge and exile him to Lingnan."

In the end, Chen Kan made his decision.

He had always considered Zhu Di a tyrant precisely because Zhu Di frequently executed entire clans down to the ninth degree. While this method effectively prevented future troubles, it involved too much collateral damage and offended the natural order of heaven.

Between leaving no loose ends and preserving his conscience, Chen Kan ultimately chose his conscience. For a modern transmigrator to degenerate into a killing machine would simply be too absurd.

Fang Xu always executed Chen Kan's orders meticulously. Since Chen Kan had given this instruction, Fang Xu could only sigh over the exceptional good fortune of those assassins.

After dismissing Fang Xu, Chen Kan began counting the days until his release from prison on his fingers.

During the dozen or so days he had spent locked away in the imperial prison, Fang Xiaoru had not once visited him in the judicial ward. Yet Chen Kan would bet his life that every single move he made was entirely within Fang Xiaoru's calculations.

Presumably, Fang Xiaoru had already figured out how to help him wrap up this matter. If nothing unexpected happened, the moment he walked out of prison, all the charges against him would be thoroughly washed clean.

After mentally deducing how Fang Xiaoru would go about clearing his name, Chen Kan lay back down on his bed with a feeling of satisfaction.

He muttered to himself, "Huang Gou'er should have secretly returned to the capital by now, and Zhu Jihuang should also be arriving. After all, this concerns a royal throne. I wonder how big a fire His Majesty will kindle and whether it can burn Zhu Jixi to death. If it fails to burn him to death, I'll have to find a way to cut the weeds and eradicate the roots. It really is quite vexing..."

In the East City, at the Prince of Jin's temporary residence, a deeply gloomy-looking Zhu Jixi was receiving the Prince of Ning, Zhu Quan, who wore an equally gloomy expression.

Zhu Quan was a young man of about the same age as Zhu Jixi, with sword-like eyebrows, star-like eyes, and sharply defined facial contours. The resolute look on his face formed a sharp contrast with the slightly effeminate Prince of Jin, Zhu Jixi.

Unlike Zhu Jixi, who had come to the capital of his own accord, the Prince of Ning, Zhu Quan, had been coerced into coming to the capital by Zhu Di—literally dragged along against his will.

That was right, coerced.

In July of the first year of Jianwen, Zhu Di raised troops in the Campaign of Jingnan, capturing the military stronghold around Beiping with lightning speed.

Daoji, who was then serving as military strategist, told Zhu Di that if he wanted to win the empire, he must secure the assistance of the Three Uriankhai Guards under the command of the Prince of Ning. The Three Uriankhai Guards was the collective name for the Duyan, Taining, and Fuyu Mongol cavalry units, later referred to by posterity as the Uriyankhan Three Guards.

In August of that year, fearing that Zhu Di and Zhu Quan would join forces, the Jianwen Emperor issued an edict summoning Zhu Quan back to the capital.

However, having witnessed the precedents set by the Princes of Dai, Min, Zhou, and Xiang, how dare Zhu Quan return to the capital? Thus, he completely ignored Zhu Yunwen's edict.

When Zhu Di saw this, he realized his opportunity had arrived.

Therefore, after securing the defense of Beiping in October, he led his army eastward to Daning. By this time, most of the garrison troops in Daning had been transferred to Songting Pass—the gateway connecting Daning to the interior—and upon hearing the news, they hastily marched north to reinforce them.

However, Zhu Di employed a stratagem of sowing discord, causing the Daning garrison to mutiny and surrender to Yan.

Unaware of the situation, Zhu Quan was left with only the Three Uriankhai Guards, who were already marked for reduction in military strength.

Zhu Di arrived at Daning, concealed his main force, and entered the city of Daning alone on a single horse. As soon as he entered the city, he wailed bitterly before Zhu Quan, lying that he had been forced into raising troops against his will and begging his younger brother to uphold justice for him.

Believing this deception, Zhu Quan submitted a memorial to the imperial court apologizing on Zhu Di's behalf and pleading for his pardon.

Yet Zhu Di, that crafty old fox, while stalling Zhu Quan, secretly dispatched trusted agents into the city to bribe the officers and men of the Three Uriankhai Guards with heavy sums of gold.

Consequently, the Three Uriankhai Guards staged a magnificent betrayal, and Zhu Quan along with his family were coerced by Zhu Di and brought first to Beiping, and finally to the capital.

And Zhu Quan was truly a fool. During the Jingnan campaign, in order to better exploit Zhu Quan's prestige in the military, Zhu Di set up two couches in his tent, ostensibly treating him as an equal to jointly receive military reports, while promising him, "Once the Jingnan campaign succeeds, we shall divide the empire equally."

Faced with such an empty promise, Zhu Quan actually believed it. Not only did he believe it, but he truly began offering strategies for Zhu Di, drafting proclamations, and manufacturing public opinion.

It was not until they reached the capital and Zhu Di ascended the throne that Zhu Quan finally realized he had been played by Zhu Di, that cunning old fox.

By that time, however, Zhu Di held absolute power, and Zhu Quan's sole reliance—the Three Uriankhai Guards—followed only Zhu Di's orders. Even if Zhu Quan wished to rebel, he lacked both military authority and popular support; he had no room left for resistance.

Therefore, one could only imagine how depressed Zhu Quan felt inside—it was like carrying tofu with a frayed rope: utterly unmentionable.

As for why he came to banquet at Zhu Jixi's residence today, it was because an even more depressing event had occurred that very morning.

After arriving in the capital, Zhu Quan realized he had been deceived. Yet since Zhu Di's momentum was already established, Zhu Quan naturally dared not mention the division of the empire ever again.

Nevertheless, Zhu Quan thought to himself, "At least I made such great contributions during the Jingnan campaign. Even if you aren't going to split the empire with me, surely you can transfer me to a slightly wealthier and more prosperous fiefdom."

To this, Zhu Di replied that it could be arranged.

When Zhu Quan stated, "I want Suzhou," Zhu Di shook his head, saying that the imperial capital region could not be enfeoffed. When Zhu Quan then said, "Then I want Hangzhou," he was, unsurprisingly, refused by Zhu Di once again.

Utterly depressed, Zhu Quan asked, "You won't give me either of the two places I asked for. Why don't you tell me where you are willing to enfeoff me?"

Zhu Di made a sweeping gesture across the map and said, "Jianning, Chongqing, Jingzhou, Dongchang—just tell me which one you want!"

When Zhu Quan pulled the map closer and looked at it, he thought, "Out of all these places, I don't want a single one."

Zhu Di responded, "There are only these four. If you don't want any of them, then I have no other solutions."

Dispirited, Zhu Quan walked out of the imperial palace and promptly received an invitation from Zhu Jixi.

And lo and behold, birds of a feather flock together, and they hit it off immediately.

One was a disgruntled prince whose mansion had been burned down without any recourse to justice; the other was a wronged prince who had been repeatedly hoodwinked by Zhu Di.

What could two frustrated men do together besides drink wine to drown their sorrows?

After three rounds of drinks, Zhu Jixi's eyes grew hazy and his face flushed crimson. Suddenly, he slammed his wine cup heavily onto the table.

Looking at Zhu Quan with a despondent expression, he said, "Seventeenth Uncle, your nephew... your nephew feels a great injustice on your behalf."

Zhu Quan, equally hazy with wine, was startled by Zhu Jixi's abrupt outburst. But as he heard those words, his hand holding the wine cup paused momentarily.

"What is my eldest nephew talking about? You are drunk."

"No, your nephew is not drunk. Your nephew simply feels this is deeply unfair to Seventeenth Uncle."

Whether Zhu Jixi was truly drunk or merely putting on an act, after making that statement, his face was filled with indignation.

A wave of doubt and suspicion arose in Zhu Quan's heart: What was this eldest nephew of his trying to pull?

"Seventeenth Uncle, you made such monumental contributions, yet now His Majesty refuses to even change your fiefdom. Your nephew truly feels this is unjust for you."

Getting more worked up the more he spoke, Zhu Jixi drained several more cups of wine before suddenly shouting angrily, "If not for your assistance, how could Fourth Uncle ever have won this empire?"

Hearing this, Zhu Quan was startled and hurriedly reprimanded him, "Eldest nephew, you are drunk! What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"